Absolutely Vital

I won a full bottle tester of Absolutely Vital at the Sniffapaloosa Fall Ball. I love it. This is definitely a perfume for grown-ups. I'm not good with notes, etc. but I can tell you this smells like Christmas with all the balsam and other greens. So glad I was introduced to this wonderful woody fragrance. If you like spicey perfumes you will like this.

The opening reminds me whiskey and cola, then it's woody and spicy. I've always wanted to try Diana Vreeland fragrances,it's worth the price. It's niche type of scent but the lasting power could be better Interesting is that this fragrance is similar a bit to Samsara,Stash and many other sandalwood fragrances. Yet it has it's own identity.

Honestly, during my initial tests I felt a bit disgusted, since the flowers are present, but mixed with the other ingredients, they seem pretty dirty. Not in a sexy way, in a very confusing one. It's a weird mixture between something carnal that reminds me of some aspects of a warm body (maybe even unwashed for a day or during a fever, since it's a bit disturbing) and something edible, but slightly off-putting... The closest and most specific comparison regarding the edible part that I can find is a white bread roll soaked in water, to the point it looks like a sponge - I remember the scent well, since my mum used to add some to a kind of meatballs for better texture when I was a kid. Afterwards, the flowers get tamer and softer and the bready reference gets clearer - when the last phase settles, it's unbelievably cozy and rewarding, like a buttery shortbread made from high quality butter, and it's very creamy due to sandalwood and vanilla. I had a colleague comment: "Does anyone else smell cookies in here...?" and another one confirm when I used the fragrance in the office. This drydown is lovely, not too sweet, not cloying, and the quality is certainly there. I would definitely recommend the perfume, however, even though I believe my experience might be a very personal interpretation, I think it's better to sample or order a decant before buying a full bottle here.

pathetic; for an EDP, this is all alcohol and water, shame on her for the price; basically, it goes on with an alcohol burn then you get this faint watery saffron scent and a watery creamy sandalwood; what a waste of my money; sooooo many better fragrances out there

It's very similar to Profvmum Roma Santalvm. Sandalwood with fresh tire burn marks. I don't like it, but if you dig Saltalvm, you might wanna try this too, it's a bit more on the feminine side, jasmine in drydown.

It is up until now I finally realise how dry, peppery and condimentary this perfume smells, as I previously was fixated on the Divas Rose and Jasmine and as they are defintely there but then in a heady concoction of resins and spices (not pepper but anyway). I guess this is the interesting trail of the perfume a, from the start frankincense-y very much with spices and resins drenched scent lending the flowers a kind of Vero.Kern, Calligraphy Rose and even Ex Idolo Thirty Three character. The flowers are not disappeared but add mystery to an already enigmatic perfume. It has a deft oriental presence as also at once the evenly camp haute poise the other Diana Vreeland perfumes also possess, if alone due to their price, packageing, jeweltoned heavy boudoiresque flacons. Yet it is the perfume which makes a stupendous fabulous impression not so much not making it to 'niche' but being beyond the staasi (often) esthetics of the nichiste bastion. This perfume harks back to Gloria Swanson, Jean Harlow, Lulu. It is a fantastic experience to walk out the door to your work wearing this formidable perfume with the heavy flacon WITH YOU for protection against intruders if already not the dense perfume had knocked them dropdead red. "Onda" and "Mito" definitely come to mind while the gorgeous sandelwood give reminiscence even, to "Oudh Infini" Dusitas Diva. Mona di Orios "Osmanthus Oudh" and the undeniable "Brand-DNA" of the other Diana Vreelands' especially Perfectly Marvelous. Yet the whole aura of specific sophistication goes to this spicey, floral and cinematic perfume itself.

I bought this beauty 3 years ago from London, and now from eBay, being happy I found it at half of regular price. And I received a poor, pathetic fake one... So, be ware from where you buy all.the DV fragrances especially russian ebay. This fragrances are expensive and some very cheap offers "steal" like, could bring you a nightmare. But you can easily detect the fake ones only looking to the box - the oroginals are special and very well made. Back to the fragrance, this is the most beautiful santal/myrh and rose I have smelled in the last 10 years. This became instantly my favourite after the amazing Devastatingly Chic and Empress of Fashion. I am looking forward to complete the entire collection. I am.pretty sure most of them are discontinued, the materials used are all raw, more of them.are absolutes and the quality of all is simply stunning. I am desperately save money for some reserves. One more thing: this creation has nothing, I mean NOTHING in common with Bulion Byredo wich is a light, nice fragrance wich lasts 1 hour. All the DV creations have good lasting and good sillage in almos all cases. Ms. Vreeland must be proud, somewhere over the rainbow, about all these creations...

I already wear Perfectly Marvellous and thought I would revisit this range to try the others. If I were going to buy a second one, this would be my choice. At first the strongest note is the sandalwood, then some powdery florals come to the fore and after several hours on the skin, the woody notes come back into prominence. Oudh isn't listed as an ingredient but the top notes did suggest a light touch of Oudh alongside the sandalwood. There are so many sweet scents on the market at the moment but there's not an atom of sweetness in Absolutely Vital. This is a dry perfume in the same way that a fino sherry is dry. How you react to a scent is so very personal and for me, although I like this very much, Perfectly Marvellous is the stand out perfume in the range.

I can hardly wait for a review of Absolutely Vital! Those of you who are lucky enough to have access to this new line from Diana's grandson are to be envied... Please share your thoughts with us!!!